Tasers – a frontline view

Last Thursday, I reported the debate at the Metropolitan Police Authority about the possible wider use of Tasers in London. There were considerable reservations about this expressed by some members of the Authority (and by some in the public gallery).

I am personally keen that there should be proper consultation and debate on the issue and I do not think the arguments are clearcut.

The use of any weapon by the police has got to be proportionate and appropriate to the risks involved. Any weapon can cause more harm than originally intended.

However, temporarily incapacitating someone with a Taser, so that they can be restrained and arrested, is likely to be better than killing them by shooting a large hole in their chest or head with a firearm.

Nevertheless, putting a 50,000 volt charge through someone should not be done lightly – it is unlikely not to lead to adverse consequences in at least some circumstances. But these risks need to be weighed against the risks of not using a Taser, such as the risks of harm coming to a member of the public or to a police officer by not quickly restraining someone who is running amok.

Therefore, this evening’s piece on the Inspector Gadget blog makes instructive reading. His police force makes Tasers available to all front-line patrol teams, and he offers three recent incidents where Tasers have been deployed as part of routine patrol duties as follows:

“1. The usual call to a ‘male with a samurai sword’ running about in Ruraltown High Street threatening to kill passing members of the public, stripped to the waist (why are they always stripped to the waist?) high on something and very, very violent. TASER crew arrives within 4 minutes, draws TASER, red-dots the man and orders him to drop the sword.

In a miracle of instant recovery, all the man’s mental health and drug issues disappear and he drops the sword. A completely compliant arrest follows with no injuries to anyone.

Previously this would have required shields, large batons, a firearms unit and a long delay during which he could have killed anyone he wanted, including the first police officers on the scene.

2. A disqualified driver, known for violence against police officers, bailed out of a stolen vehicle after a pursuit. Armed with a 2 ft long iron bar in one hand and a knife in the other, he became cornered by the two policemen from the pursuing vehicle. Red-faced, drunk, very angry and screaming death threats, a stand-off ensued which without TASER would have taken hours to resolve (remember, the public don’t like it when we pile mob-handed onto one man). The TASER crew arrived within a few seconds and red-dotted him in the chest.

Another miracle occurred. Right in front of the police officers eyes, a complete change in character. Weapons dropped, hands behind the back and a compliant arrest.

3. My own patrol officers end a siege without calling for tactical response units and bringing the whole town to a halt for hours by using TASER on a male who is clearly intent on cutting his own throat, while at the same time threatening t0 stab any police officer or paramedic who approaches him. All this in the isle of a busy local supermarket.

In this case, TASER was fired at the man. He was immediately incapacitated and arrested without any injury to anyone. In the past, this could have been another Kingsbury or it could have taken hours and hours of negotiation, maybe even a fatal shooting by police.”

His accounts also accord with the experience in the Metropolitan Police, where – in more limited circumstances – Tasers have been deployed, and reported through monitoring arrangements to the – shortly to be abolished – Metropolitan Police Authority: in these cases too often the appearance of the red dot on someone’s chest (indicating the laser sights of the Taser) has been sufficient to persuade someone otherwise presenting a risk to themselves, members of the public or police officers to calm down and relinquish their weapon.

Inspector Gadget concludes in typical – but telling – style:

“Refusing to let us have TASER in case we shoot the wrong person is like refusing to let us have cars in case we run someone over, boots in case we kick someone in the head or a first aid kit in case we give the wrong treatment. On my team we take the deployment of TASER very seriously. I haven’t even heard the team joke about it.”

Ciaran I think you’ll find that Mr Justice Livingstone had to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act after seen to wave said “99p gun” around a train station before fighting with police which led to him being tasered.

Still, when you carry a toy gun around, pretending it’s real and fighting with armed police officers; you consider yourself lucky to still be breathing. I know I would.

Justice Livingstone… His ethnicity is irrelevant. The report to the police was of a man waving a gun around while screaming and shouting on the platform. Police arrived and he was sat down, he opened his briefcase and officers saw he was armed. Fake or not is also irrelevant, the officers felt the use of force was warranted. They now have to justify that use of force in a court of law if required. He was tasered. Following his arrest Doctors felt he was sufficiently disturbed that he was sectioned under the mental health act.
This is as per the story printed in the Daily Mail. Note to Ciaran, I haven’t omitted to mention points that might make it appear that the police were just being mindless thugs.

Dear P.C Anon & Sgt George, The public stated that he was not doing anything of the sort and it boils down to one thing – Police Mendacity. Remember the Forest Gate shooting? The “child porn” found on a laptop? Months later that Asian guy was exonerated. Duggan, no gun found. I must say that if 6 police say Livingstone was waving a “gun” and 6 M.O.P say that he was sitting quietly I know whom I find more credible – and it is not the thick blue line. Finally, when deletion of DNA samples of Innocent folks comes into force it will have to be independently verified. There is Zero trust in the police.

I’m not sure why you’ve called me a PC when I’ve never worked in the police before but OK.

The fact that Mr. Livingstone was reported by a station staff member as waving the gun on the platform is credible enough. There was a gun found discarded by Duggan, and apparently it’s thought to have been linked to another shooting in which Duggan was possibly the suspect – but that’s an ongoing enquiry.

Think about this though, if Mr. Livingstone was “sitting quietly” as you so put it then the force used by police would hence be unreasonable; numerous members of the public would’ve complained and the officers would be suspended pending enquiry – I’ve not heard anything regarding this? Have you? Not to mention that officers deemed him mentally unwell, so much so he needed to be sectioned – you seem to have forgotten this though.

You’ve obviously got some sort of vendetta against the police. You can speak for yourself when you say “There is zero trust in the police” as I have full confidence in them as they have served me very well when I was robbed.

Ciaran
Please don’t attach titles to me to which i am not entitled. adding PC and SGT to your comments is childish.
He was sitting quietly when the police arrived. He wasn’t reported for sitting quietly, now, was he. Or did the crystal ball reader at the Control Room despatch officers after seeing him sat with a gun in his briefcase?
There isn’t zero trust in the police. That is your personal opinion. You certainly haven’t asked for mine, nor any of the people that i associate with on a day to day basis. I do trust the police, as do all of my friends and work colleagues. So by all means continue to distrust the police, you are perfectly entitled to hold such a view. But don’t try to speak for everyone. you don’t.
Police Officers can’t section people, only doctors can after an independent assessment. And they take it very seriously, they will not section unless it is absolutely necessary. But don’t let the facts get in the way of your argument!

Anon, nobody in my community would bother with the “I” PCC. George, they are not “officers” they hold no armed forces commission. PJ, I have no illusions regarding the demise of policing by consent under ZaNuLaboyr 1997-2010.

I take it this comment was meant to detract from the fact you have nothing useful to say regarding my post. Nitpicking is fine if you manage to get your facts straight. Otherwise you end up looking childish. again.

Does this mean females should not apply for the met.
I would prefer more police policing by consent and reflecting all law abiding types of adult humanity. Keeping everyone safe and free from fear or is that asking too much.

Congratulations for loosing the argument in typical Internet Troll style. You have just re-enforced our argument by running out of rational points of view to put across and resorting to abuse. For this I thank you.

Ciaran Rehill
Do you think Anon might be Ringo, and is your middle name Paul…
Maybe we could be (A) band by the met of course.
We might be called The Beatemuples and the first CiD will be Steel Soul..and the second Rubber Truncheon….. The Blue Album

I’m quite happy to put the kettling on for a pensioner or 3 and make a nice cup of and take the biscuit. This would be between tribute gigs/gags…..